This invention relates generally to the heating of water and more particularly to a water heater in which microwave energy is used to generate heat.
Conventional domestic water heaters use electric resistant elements or gas or oil burners to heat the water in the tank of the water heater. A substantial part of the heat that is generated is essentially wasted, and this waste of energy has become increasingly undesirable in recent years due to increasing energy costs. Electric resistance heating is rather inefficient, while a significant portion of the heat produced by gas and oil burners escapes through the flue.
It is an important object of my invention to provide a water heating appliance which is more efficient than the water heaters that are currently available for domestic use. Rather than using electric resistance heating or a gas or oil burner, my invention takes full advantage of the efficiency of microwave energy in the heating of water.
Another object of the invention is to provide a water heater having a tank which is partitioned into two separate chambers, one serving as a large capacity holding tank and the other as a heating chamber in which water can be heated to the desired temperature by microwave energy.
A further object of the invention is to provide a water heater of the character described in which water in the holding tank is automatically pumped back into the heating chamber when it has cooled to a temperature level requiring that it be reheated.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a water heater of the character described in which the microwave generator and the pump are accurately and automatically controlled to maintain the water in both chambers at the desired temperature levels.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a water heater of the character described which is constructed in a simple and economical manner and which can be easily installed and serviced.
Other and further objects of the invention, together with the features of novelty appurtenant thereto, will appear in the course of the following description.